Several systems exist for transmitting a video signal to a television or other type of monitor. These systems include satellite transmission systems, cable transmission networks and video cassette (VCR) and video disk (DVD) players, amongst others. Picture quality depends on the quality of the initial source signal, the transmission media and the ability of the monitor to faithfully reproduce the input signal. Many prior art monitors include a mechanism that provides a viewer with at least some type of manual adjustment of these picture parameters, either by remote control or by tuning a knob provided about the monitor.
One reason for adjustable picture parameters is that the preferred parameter settings for a particular "scene" may differ depending on the nature of the scene. For example, the scene of a particular picture may be inside or outside, daytime or nighttime, close-in or far away, and the ideal picture parameter settings may differ for each of these scenes.
Some prior art video image display systems have attempted to create general scene "categories" such as sports, movie or drama. These categories, however, are overly broad. For example, a football game may be played outside during the day, outside at night under lights, inside a dome stadium, or outside in a game that starts during the day and ends during the night. The projected picture would be improved by having more than one setting within the sports category to accommodate these different scenes. In a program, however, where the scenes change rapidly, the viewer's picture correction attempts could not keep up with the program's changing scenes. Hence, a need exists to provide picture parameter correction values for scenes within a program or for a program as a whole.
In addition, the FCC regulates the voltage range of video signal components such as the luminance and chrominance components, thereby limiting dynamic range. A need exists to extend the dynamic range of these and/or related components to improve or otherwise affect a picture.